Sherman VC Firefly
The Sherman VC Firefly is a tier 3 British medium tank. About The Sherman Firefly was a tank used by the United Kingdom and some Commonwealth and Allied armoured formations in the Second World War. It was based on the US M4 Sherman, but fitted with the powerful 3-inch (76.2 mm) caliber British 17-pounder anti-tank gun as its main weapon. Originally conceived as a stopgap until future British tank designs came into service, the Sherman Firefly became the most common vehicle mounting the 17-pounder in the war and also the most effective. Though the British expected to have their own new tank models developed soon, the previously rejected idea of mounting the 17-pounder in the existing Sherman was eventually accepted after the upgrowing threat of the Tiger and other German tanks, despite initial government resistance. This proved fortunate, as both the Cruiser Mk VIII Challenger and Cruiser Mk VIII Cromwell tank designs experienced difficulties and delays. After the difficult problem of getting such a large gun to fit in the Sherman's turret was solved by making a cutout in the rear of the turret for the radio and positioning the gun in different ways, the Firefly was put into production in early 1944, in time to equip Field Marshal Montgomery's 21st Army Group for the Normandy landings. It soon became highly valued, as its gun could almost always penetrate the armour of the Panther and Tiger tanks it faced in Normandy. In recognition of this, German tank and anti-tank gun crews were instructed to attack Fireflies first. Because the Firefly had a visibly longer barrel, crews tried to camouflage it so the tank would look like a normal 75 mm-gun Sherman from a distance by painting the barrel in different patterns. Between 2,100 and 2,200 were manufactured before production wound down in 1945. Playstyle The Sherman Firefly has good penetration and decent DPS, this comes at a cost of its below-average armor for its tier. This tank is recommended to be played a sniper because of its almost excellent shell-drop, it's one of the best shell-drops in the game and is similar to that of the M48A5 Patton. Its DPM is also good for its tier, once you have gotten to crew level 6 and above, you will be getting more than 1500 DPM which is more than the average for its tier. Because of this tanks shell-drop, you should play it at 300-500m at high ground, make sure to angle your armor as your turret and mantlet armor is poor. Your reload speed is decent and your DPS is good and the reload speed is even better when crew levels are higher, making it able to dish out a lot of damage within a few seconds. If you are spotted or getting shot at, make sure to get into cover, however, this is hard because of your 4 kmh reverse speed. This tank is not very versatile since it cant really be used as anything else, its speed makes it not viable for a flanker or ambush tank, its armor also makes it unable to become a brawler, but it still is a very good sniper and good at long ranges. Pros: * An above-average gun penetration for tier 3. * Average damage per shot for its tier. * Average tier 3 health pool. * Decent round drop. * Very high DPM for its tier once crew levels are higher. * Decent reload speed. Cons: * Has a louder engine than other tanks which means enemies could detect you easily. * Like all Sherman tanks for Tier 3, it has terrible armor on every area of the tank. * Very poor reverse speed. * Only slightly adequate top speed. Trivia * The muzzle brake usually does not load in the garage but loads once you spawn it. * This tank set the record for the longest kill distance, set by Baubuschaka at 1150m. * The muzzle brake disappears after you have been killed. Real-Life Trivia * It's main armament was a QF 17 Pounder 76.2 mm gun. * It was based upon the M4A4 Sherman * They nicknamed the 17 PDR Sherman the "Firefly" because of the bright flash of the muzzle. * The cramped space of the Firefly made it harder for the crew to operate due to the sheer size of the gun. * A loader hatch was installed due to the impracticality of the loader using the Commander's hatch to exit which was unrealistic during combat situations. * The co-driver seat and role of the original Sherman was removed and was replaced for ammo storage. * The 17 Pounder is theorized to be able to punch through a Tiger 2's frontal armor, although this is just a theory. Gallery Category:Great Britain Category:Medium Tanks Category:Tier 3 Category:Non-Premium